By knowing about the Trees of Valinor, the promo poster forThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,begins to make a lot more sense. Not only can you discern landmarks like Ezellohar (a.k.a. Corollairë, the mound on which the Trees of Valinor were grown) but also determine the location (Valinor), time of day (evening), name of the adjacent city (Valmar), and also the name of the mountain range (the Pelóri). You’re able to do this by being able to identify the Trees of Valinor, whose mere existence spur much of the events that occur in the First, Second, andeven the Third and Fourth Ages.
There are two Trees of Valinor; Telperion (a.k.a. Silpion or Ninquelótë) and Laurelin (a.k.a. Malinalda or Culúrien), each with their own unique attributes. Telperion is the elder of the Two Trees and has leaves that are dark green on the top and silver underneath. Referred to inThe Silmarillionas a “he”, Telperion is also described as having many flowers and casting a beautiful shadow on the ground as a reflection of his shining leaves.
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Laurelin, the younger of the Two Trees, has what’s described as “young green like the new-opened beech” leaves with edges of “glittering gold”. Laurelion is described as a “she” inThe Silmarillion, with yellow flowers in the shape of horns. Laurelin’s light is also much warmer than Telperion’s, similar to the warm glow of sunlight.
In Arda, Telperion and Laurelin provided light for the world long before the Sun and Moon came into existence. In fact, when the Sun and Moon were created they were designed as a reflection of the tree’s light, the Moon for Telperion and the Sun for Laurelin. Knowing this, one cannot help but wonder; if the Sun and Moon were created to mimic the light of the Trees, thenwho created the Trees of Valinor in the first place?
The story of where the trees came from starts with Yavanna. She is known for many things: the Giver of Fruits, the spouse of Aulë who created the dwarves, and a lover of all things that grow in the earth. With Yavanna’s power over the flora and fauna of Arda, it makes sense that she would play a critical role in the planting of and caring for the Trees. But who was responsible for watering them?
One might assume, at first, Ulmo, who is another powerful Valar like Yavanna who holds dominion over water and the oceans of the world. However, the Trees of Valinor claimed their water from elsewhere, the Tears of Nienna. Nienna is known for her grief, for even before the world was made, she was lamenting all the wrongs done to it. However, her grief is compassionate grief, the kind that inspires pity, endurance, hope, wisdom, and strength.
Through the combined powers of Yavanna and Nienna, the Trees of Valinor were created. Outside the western gate of Valmar in Valinor was Ezellohar, a green mound also known as Corollairë. Yavanna loved this mound and one day she sat upon it and sang what is referred to as a “song of power” inThe Silmarillion.
While Yavanna sang this song, Nienna also sat upon the mound, watering it with her tears. The rest of the Valar sat nearby, in the Máhanaxar, the Ring of Doom, watching and listening. While Yavanna sang and Nienna cried, two slender shoots appeared out of Ezellohar. Yavanna continued to sing and the shoots matured, taller and taller until they came to flower. From these shoots came the Trees of Valinor, who brought along with them light, time, and their beauty to Arda.
These Trees were precious to the Valar and the Firstborn but loathed by Melkor, a god of discord and darkness. Melkor loathed the Trees so much that he included their destruction in his plan to overthrow the rest of the Valar. However, to accomplish this, he needed an ally that could not only destroy but also consume their light.
Enter Ungoliant.Ungoliant takes the form of a massive spider(she is also an ancient ancestor of Shelob), who hungers for and hates the light. She also has the ability to create Unlight, a substance likened to the void, a kind of super darkness so dense that neither light nor sight can penetrate it. In this attribute, she is the perfect ally for Melkor to destroy the trees, which they manage to do during a time of festival in Valinor.
Under the protective Unlight of Ungoliant, Melkor and Ungoliant sneak into Valinor until they came to the roots of the Trees of Valinor. Once there, Melkor jumps out of the dark and stabs each tree deep into their cores, causing them to bleed sap onto the ground. Then Ungoliant drank the sap from the ground and from the Trees until their light faded and they both withered and died.
The death of the Trees is a tragedy for all who live in Valinor. However, their light inspiresmany beautiful things even after their death. The Sun and Moon are created shortly after, an imperfect replacement for the light of the Trees. It is also said that within the Silmarils was a light not dissimilar from the light of the Trees of Valinor, and light reflected off of Galadriel’s golden hair is said to be similar to the light reflected off of Laurelin’s golden leaves. Yavanna also created Galathilion, a tree made in the image of Telperion, for the Firstborn who live at Tirion upon Tuna in Aman.
The creation and destruction of the Trees of Valinor is a major event in the history of Arda and Middle Earth with rippling consequences that span thousands of years. Because of this, it makes sense thata poster advertising a TV serieslargely set in the Second Age would feature the Two Trees, for it would be nearly impossible to tell any story in the Second Age without at least a mention of Telperion and Laurelin.
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